"Thank you so much for the suggestion, Gault." Though the clouds that hung in the sky mostly blotted out the sun, Mako could tell evening was closing in. "I never would have thought to give Sullustan holovids a try before you said something."

Gault waved off her gratitude. "Stop, you'll make me blush," he said. "Besides, I couldn't let you leave disappointed, not when we walked all the way into the city to see a holo."

Mako nodded, no longer feeling the disappointment she had felt a few hours earlier. All of the times for the vid she had wanted to see -one about a pale glistening man who lived on human blood and the woman who loved him- were sold out. Apparently, it was quite a popular vid among the teenaged populace of Kaas City. Gault had saved the day by suggesting Ekanu, a low-budget monster vid produced by a well-known Sullustan production team.

"Now that I've watched a Sullustan holovid, I don't know what to think," she said. "I mean, it was a fun vid. I really liked how they made Ekanu a mutant varactyl; I almost never see those in vids. But the way he destroyed Byllurun looked really cheesy and unbelievable."

"But that's why these old Sullustan vids are so fun," Gault replied. "The low, cheesy budget and the bad Basic dub. They try to make it seem like this monster destroying the capital is such a serious matter, but I always laugh at how their lips keep moving even after they've said their two or three word line in Basic."

"Or vice-versa," Mako added. "Their line is Basic lasts longer than their lip movements."

Gault laughed. "Oh, Sullustan holovids. They never cease being entertaining. You know Ekanu is a whole franchise, right? Something like ten or fifteen vids since they made the first one thirty years ago."

"Wow, that many?" Mako asked, her eyes widening a bit. "I should look them up on the Holonet, see if I can find the rest of them."

"Good. If you find them, let me know. I'd enjoy watching the entire series again." Gault paused and looked skyward, noting the increased lightning activity. "Seems it's getting a bit late, and the storms are kicking up again. Let's head back to the ship, see how those two are faring."

Mako nodded, and they made their way back to the ship. They kept up an easy conversation about whatever topics came to mind, which surprised her given his background and her own initial hesitance upon meeting him. In spite of his scheming and dealing -as well as his moment of cowardice on Taris- Gault had proven a capable fighter and planner who was a good addition to the team. She wasn't sure she would ever be comfortable enough with him to call him a 'friend', but calling him a 'comrade' or 'colleague' would be sufficient enough for her.

As they entered the ship, Gault paused, a frown creasing his face. "Does it seem rather...quiet to you, Mako?" he asked. She nodded, drawing her blaster as they both looked around the confines of the ship. A soft rustling noise caught Mako's attention, and she turned her head in the direction of the crew quarters. Slowly she approached the doorway, then took a couple careful steps through it into the dim space. The rustling sounds continued, and a flicker of movement in the dim light startled her. She let out a startled yell and pointed the barrel of the blaster in the general direction of the motion. She kept it pointed there until she heard a familiar voice, one edged with mild annoyance.

"Mako, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

The lights came on suddenly, causing Mako to flinch until her eyes adapted to the brightness. When she opened them again, she noted Ky braced on one elbow where she was laying. Torian sat up behind her, mimicking the posture, and Mako felt her expression betray her puzzlement. Clearly, they were laying on his bunk, the rumpled sheets showed as much. Yet there was no sign they were doing anything besides laying there...

"Um, did I miss something?" she asked, her confusion evident in her voice. "Or, am I interrupting something, maybe?"

"I would bet on the latter, myself." Gault stood in the doorway, a look of amusement on his face. "You know, Ky. That works a whole lot better with a lot less clothing on." He laughed a bit as he watched her face redden.

"It...it wasn't like that at all," she protested, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bunk.

"Sure looks like it was," he replied. "Mako and I can leave you two alone for a bit longer, you know. We can go watch more holovids, or grab a drink, or find some other way to kill a few more hours. You simply need to ask."

"That won't be necessary, Gault." Ky stood slowly, brushing past her other two crew members as she left the room. Torian, his own face slightly red, soon followed suit, leaving Gault and Mako standing confused in the small room.

"Seems your little gift didn't work, Gault," Mako teased. "Told you it was a bad idea."

After a few moments of searching, Torian found her in the fresher. He watched her cup her hands beneath the faucet, catching some water which she used to wash the cosmetics from her face. She repeated this action several times before she was satisfied; she then shut off the water and gently dried her face with one of the nearby towels.

"Nice to see your natural face again, Kybrina," he said, leaning against the door frame casually.

"It is nice, isn't it?" she asked, folding the towel and hanging it on its hook again. "As lovely as I looked, I didn't look or feel like myself. Cosmetics, jewels, fancy dresses...none of that is my realm of expertise."

"Nor mine," he said. "So what now, Kybrina?" He raised an eyebrow as she began laughing. "What's funny?" he asked. "Something I said?"

"In a manner of speaking," she said. "You keep using my full name."

"Only name I feel I can call you." he answered with a shrug.

"You can call me 'Ky', you know. It won't hurt you."

He shook his head. "Tried that once, didn't feel right or sound right. Sounds too clipped and abrupt for someone like you."

She watched him via his reflection as she ran her fingers through her hair, restoring it to its usual order. "But, do you know who else calls me 'Kybrina'?" she asked. "My mother. Can you guess who I haven't spoken to in nearly five years?"

He nodded thoughtfully. "So Kybrina is too loaded for your taste, and Ky is too clipped for mine," he said. "What about Kybri?" He caught her raised eyebrow in her reflection, so he continued. "Got a nice sound to it, doesn't sound so grating and clipped, but isn't quite as bothersome as your full name."

"Kybri..." she repeated the name, and a smile touched her lips. "I like it. Give me enough time, and it'll grow on me."

Feeling a bit bolder, she turned back to face him, taking a few steps to close the distance between the two of them. Before he could react, she had slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him to her for a long hug. "In spite of how nervous I was," she said. "I had a great time today. Dinner was wonderful, the company was even better."

He hugged her back in kind. "Couldn't have said it better myself," he said.

She pulled back, suddenly feeling slightly awkward. "Thanks, Torian," she said. "I hope we can do it again soon." He seemed to feel just as awkward as she did, for he only nodded in response.

She took a deep breath, knowing she needed to change the subject. "Well," she said. "Time to get back to business. We've still got one more target on the Blacklist to take out. Shall we head to Hoth and get it over with?"

"Sure," he replied. "Another big hunt for dangerous prey. Looking forward to it."